Never Too Late
by Mewglegirl
Summary: Not all stories are given proper endings. Such is the way of life, but there are loose ends to be tied. Crimes must be paid for, and there must be retribution. Post-game. No pairings here. Rated for violence.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story contains MASSIVE SPOILERS, including the identities of the Composer and the Fallen Angel. Don't read unless you've read all the secret reports.

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><p>I shoved the key in the lock and tried to twist it. The dang thing always seemed to stick at the worst times. After some fumbling, I managed to get the door unlocked. The bell chimed when I pushed the door aside; its cheerful tone hardly matched my mood. I considered flipping the sign to "Open," but quickly decided against it. It wouldn't hurt anything to keep WildKat closed today.<p>

I flipped the lights on with a habitual flick of the switch. I didn't care that someone might mistake the bright lights inside as an indication that the trendy place was open for business; I only got a few customers anyway, and they'd understand. Besides, all my best coffee stuff's in here. Nothing says calm like a hot cuppa vanilla hazelnut.

That was what I told myself, at any rate. I hardly felt like coffee. I think a part of me hoped that someone would come and keep me company; Josh was bound to appear outside the door any minute now, especially considering that my vibe pretty much dropped off the face of his mental map. Any other day, I would probably be feeling his concern as though it were my own - the Composer and the Producer are sort of linked like that. It's not as strong as the whole Composer/Conductor thing, but I digress.

I hated being human. There was always that feeling of worthlessness, that I had no control over anything. I've still got my business as CAT, mind you, but eventually, the imprinting codes'll wear out and disappear completely without me renewing them. Once that happens, my art really serves no purpose to me. Unlike the Prince of Ennui, I really don't care for riches and fame. I just wanted to help Shibuya. I used to stop by the main murals and rework anything washed away by the rain or some other inconvenience, but to what end? I had a sinking feeling that once the codes wore down, so would CAT's popularity.

Not having wings was another thing I had to get used to. I couldn't skip the Pork City elevator and just jump down thirteen stories - a simple pleasure that I took for granted until now - without anything to break my fall. Besides, I was stuck in the RG - it would just look like a suicide attempt. (Lord, was I already thinking about that? Come on Sanae, you're better than that. At least it can't get any worse.)

"Hey, if it isn't featherless factor himself!"

Scratch that. It just got worse.

The door swung open quickly, nearly bashing forcefully into the wall. I sighed in defeat. This was supposed to be my time to recover, emotionally at the least.

"When did you hear?" I asked quietly, without turning to face him.

"This morning," Sho chuckled. "Zetta sucks to be you."

Once it got around that I helped him, he got called to serve as a witness at my trial. They even healed all the damage Joshua caused, since it was vital that my former partner attend. Sho was done with me; that much was obvious. Let's just say that the whole thing didn't go too well. The higher Angels always pass judgement without anyone other than the defendant present, so at least I had time to myself before he heard the verdict and came to rub it in my face.

"Get outta here, Sho." I didn't dare look at him. "You can't possibly drag me lower." The thought that he was now _stronger_ than me just made me feel worse.

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, radian." He walked across the cafe, and his footsteps almost muffled the all-too-familiar metallic click. Almost. Any other day, I wouldn't even have flinched when the muzzle touched the back of my head, but I'd been reminded of my current mortality more times than I could count.

"Here's the deal," Sho said calmly. "I know you're still buddies with the Composer. Convince him to give me back my own wings, and I won't blow your brains to nanobytes."

I should have anticipated this. When Sho was erased by his own psych and came back through the Taboo refinery sigil, he lost his status as a Reaper. Recruiting new ones is the Conductor and Composer's job, so we - er, the Angels didn't bother.

"Oh, and don't even think about playing the Game," he added. "I'll erase you before you beat the first mission." That wouldn't help me anyway. I'd been exiled to the RG and stripped of my wings. Even if I _did_ win the Reapers' Game, they wouldn't let me ascend. The closest I would be able to get is Composer, and I hardly wanted to take that away from Joshua. There was always the possibility of joining the Reapers permanently, but...

"You know what? Make it an Officer," Sho said, cutting off my train of thought. His voice was practically dripping with pride. I longed for my second sight, so I could find a weak point in his stance and strike. I might have been able to get the gun out of his hands, even in a fist-fight.

I suddenly noticed that my ears were ringing faintly. It wasn't something I was familiar with, but I recognized the cause right away.

"Why don't you hand me that gun, Sho?"

The end of the pistol never left my head, but I wasn't as afraid now. Even if Pi-Face pulled the trigger, Joshua would stop him from erasing me, and I'd be free to get through the week. Even as a Reaper, being able to tune to the UG was important to me. How else was I going to help things out?

Sho growled softly. "Make me an Officer or Sanae gets it," he spat.

For the second time, I wished I had my second sight back. I didn't want to turn around and risk getting shot right there and then. I hated feeling so useless.

"I could make you a Reaper again," Joshua replied, "but then I'm afraid I'd have to erase you. Rules are rules - no free rides."

There was a pause. I thought I felt the muzzle back away just a tiny bit. "But if I followed the rules, you'd have no choice, right?" Sho asked, still calm, but much less proud.

"I suppose not, but don't do anything rash, now," Joshua added quickly. "You're half-Noise, Sho. I don't know if you can legally play the Game." So he _was_ still Taboo.

Sho forced the gun tighter against my head. "Well?" he demanded. "Tell the truth or I'll erase you faster than you can say infinity."

He had no way of knowing whether I was lying or not, of course. If I said that he could be made a Player without a hitch, and he really couldn't, he'd be erased like common Noise, or else just left dead. Problem is, I had no idea either. When humans die, they leave a body that can be healed and tuned, but when Noise die, they fade to static. There was no way of knowing what would happen if Sho killed himself. I couldn't tell him that - he'd think I was just dodging the question.

There was also the fact that Sho was in the RG at the moment, thanks to the decal on WildKat's entrance. If he were outside, the Noise part of him would likely force him to the UG, where any and all deaths count as erasure.

"You should be fine," I forced out. Sho must have still trusted me on some level - he owes me his life, after all - because his gun immediately flew away from the back of my head without another word. The gunshot echoed loudly in the confined space, banging against my eardrums. The only sound after that was a sickening _thump._

I waited a few moments before turning around. The scene was less grisly than I thought it would be - very little mess, just a growing puddle of black blood on the floor around Sho's head. The equally dark Taboo energy began to fade from his body while Joshua and I watched, and in a matter of minutes, I didn't need my Angel senses to tell me he was human again. The blood pouring from his wound slowly faded to a more natural red color.

"Well..." Joshua muttered. "I didn't think that would actually work." He sat on his knees beside Sho and set to work, healing the damage and cleaning the mess.

"Me neither."

After he was finished, Joshua stood up and said, "The other Angels already told me."

I sighed heavily. "I figured as much."

"What are you going to do?"

It was a simple enough question, one that I hadn't pondered for very long, but I could only see one viable answer. Staying in the RG and doing nothing was out of the question. I couldn't take my old job back. That left one possibility.

Out of habit, I willed the gun laying in Sho's open hand to fly to my own, but I quickly remembered that I didn't have the ability any more, so I stooped down to pick it up instead. My mind was made up.

It took Josh a few moments to figure out what I had planned. "...Are you sure?" he asked.

"It all works out," I replied, more to myself than to Joshua. "We've been watching Megumi for a while now. This is the perfect opportunity to test whether he can handle it."

Josh sighed. "Just be careful."

I nodded, held up the gun, and pulled the trigger.

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><p>The World Ends With You belongs to Square-Enix.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

_Two months later..._

I swept the brush against the wall, trying not to let those fish under my feet distract me. This painting would be my best yet; it was so great to have my artistic talent back after going a week without it. The Dead God's Pad desperately needed upgrading. I silently thanked Kitaniji (gotta get in the habit of using his last name) for convincing the other Angels to let me keep my memory of them. All he asked in return was that I leave the built-in aquarium. I think I might be the first Conductor to ever know about the Producer and not be forced to forget.

I have to say, being Conductor is nicer than I thought it would be. Sure, there's more paperwork and stuff, and I have to answer to Josh's every command, but I get to spend so much more time here in Shibuya, and I don't have to worry about being a Fallen Angel anymore. It's like a huge weight has been lifted right off my shoulders. Obviously, I can't communicate with the other Angels, but from what I've heard from Kitaniji, they're willing to give me this chance to prove myself, even if things didn't exactly go as they planned.

Rising through the Reapers' ranks had been ridiculously easy. Since Kitaniji ascended before I even made it to Officer, there was no Conductor during one of the Games. Josh had to fill in for both of them, so I think he was a little biased when it came to promoting me. I can't complain, though - it cut my time as a Harrier short. Uzuki was insanely jealous when she found out that I was moving up to Officer after just three Games. (Another record broken.) Of course, my own stellar Imagination and extensive knowledge of pin-crafting certainly didn't hurt, both as a Reaper and a Player.

Speaking of being a Player, no, my partner had not been Sho. It was someone you wouldn't know, someone that I'd been watching for a while (from the Higher Plane, of course), who showed promise. When I saw her looking for a partner, it was like a dream come true. I think she was a little nervous about making a pact with an older Player, but it all worked out pretty well. She could use almost all the pins, not to mention quite a few of the ones I still had on me that I'd made before I entered the Game. (That was particularly impressive - most of the psychs were designed for Reaper or Angel use.)

In the end, my old partner chose reincarnation, which is fine by me. I hope she meets up with Phones and the gang someday; the two seem like they would get along. As for Sho...well...both Kitaniji and I had been much more cautious with promoting him. He's got to prove that he can cooperate, even just a little - especially after he betrayed me at the trial - before he can get out of that red hoodie.

With the outlines complete, I switched back to spray-paint. I wanted this particular mural to be as detailed as possible, so I was using a brush for thinner lines, but old habits die hard. At least I had plenty of room to walk around, now that the Foosball table was out of the way. I was about to check back at my sketchbook when the door leading to the Room of Reckoning flickered into visibility for a bit, letting the Producer himself through.

"How goes, boss?" I asked lightheartedly, continuing to paint.

Kitaniji chuckled. "It pains me to see you...personalizing this place. I have to keep reminding myself that it isn't mine anymore." He looked over at the spot where the water used to pour gently down the wall.

"Heh, yeah, well. Things change, right? Gotta live in the moment."

"Of course," he said with a warm smile before continuing to the Shibuya River. He added, "Good luck, Sanae," and walked out the door. I finished shading the part of the mural I was working on and stepped back to look it over. So far, I had the main CAT logo (the star-eyed black cat) holding Pyrokinesis and Thunderbolt pins - my personal favorites out of the starter deck. It was looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. I planned to leave some empty space around the edges, even after I finished it up, so I could add more later if something big happened that I wanted to use in the symbols.

The door to the Shibuya River opened again, and Kariya poked his head through cautiously. "I just saw Mr. Kitaniji walk out, so-" He stopped quickly when he realized I was in here. He looked from me to the mural to the can of spray-paint in my hand, and made the connection instantly. "So it's true, then."

"What, me being CAT or me taking the Conductor's job?" I chuckled.

"What's Megs up to, if you replaced him?" Kariya asked with a brow raised.

"Can't tell ya that, boss." I should consider myself lucky that I know the answer.

He rolled his eyes slightly, but didn't press for more. "So you were the one who called me here? If this is about a promotion, you can shove it up your-"

"Hear me out, alright?" I interjected. "If you still say no, that's fine by me. I want you guys t' be happy."

Kariya sighed. "Fine."

"What if you went straight to GM by proxy? I'll worry about the paperwork and all that, and you issue the missions and torment the Players. Give it a shot. If you hate it, go back to harrying. No big deal."

He leaned up against the doorway and thought about it. "...Noise form and everything?" he asked tentatively.

"Definitely."

"And I get to be in the field the whole time?"

"I'll take care of everything else, promise." After everything I've been through, I think I can take a little extra work. I hoped that he would like the authority/control aspect and stick around as a full-time Officer.

"...I'd have to battle the surviving Players on the last day, right?"

Shoot. I was hoping he wouldn't think about that part too hard. Harrying is safe in that there's no direct fighting, but as Game Master, there's a chance he could be erased. It's not that big of a deal to me; as Producer, I saw quite a few promising candidates, across many districts, erased at the hands of the Players. It happens. I'm used to it. Kariya, on the other hand, had a perfectly good reason to be worried.

I sighed dejectedly. "Yeah."

"What about Uzuki?" Kariya asked, brow furrowed.

I shrugged in reply. "What about her? No offense boss, but she's not exactly Officer material."

Kariya closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I'll give you this one chance. I'll be Game Master by proxy for the next Game."

"Wow, really?" I asked, truly surprised. I thought for sure he'd disagree.

"Hurry up and do whatever you want to do before I change my mind," Kariya grumbled.

I smirked and held up a hand. "Let's get this started, then." The Noise floating around us bent to my will, degrading and focusing into pure energy and collecting about my fingers. I directed its core to match Kariya's Soul, and the energy faded to a bright orange color. "Heh heh...you might feel a slight pinch." All at once, the Noise energy assaulted him, surrounding the Reaper in a dull glow and burying itself into every inch of his body.

Kariya cried out in pain. His eyes widened as much as they could. Orange fur and black fox tails flickered briefly into existance. His black wings glowed dimly, then all the lights faded and Kariya collapsed to his knees, exhausted. He was panting heavily.

"I'll see ya bright 'n' early on day 1," I said. I offered him a hand, which he took, and I helped him to his feet.

"I'll...be there," Kariya replied between breaths. "Thanks." He jogged out, and I was alone again. I picked up the brush and started outlining a few intricate lines swirling around a feather or two when my phone rang. I sighed and laughed a bit to myself - was I ever going to get some free time today? Of course, when I saw the caller ID, it made me feel better, since Phones saved me the trouble of calling him later. I flipped open the black cell and hit the call button.

"What's up?" I asked cheerily.

"Please tell me that what Joshua just told me isn't true," Neku said.

"You're gonna have to elaborate a bit, boss."

"Are you really Conductor now?" He sounded pretty troubled. This would go over better in person.

"...Listen, why don't we meet over at WildKat? I'll tell you the whole story."

He sighed exasperatedly. "Fine, fine." Neku hung up, and I shoved my phone in my pocket.

I put all my brushes and cans back on the shelves I installed where the jukebox used to be, scribbled a quick note that warned of the wet paint, and taped it to the wall on a blank spot. _I'm coming too_, came Joshua's telepathic reply.

_Fair enough_, I answered. Since we're still good friends, Josh doesn't care for formalities as much as he did with Kitaniji, but I still added a quick Sir, just to humor him.

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><p>The World Ends With You belongs to Square-Enix.<p> 


	3. Epilogue

"Come on! We're almost out of time!"

"I'm coming! Hold on!"

We ran down the street, goal in sight. I kept nervously checking my palm, growing more and more fearful as each of our precious seconds ticked away before my eyes. All we had to do was get to Udagawa, but that pink-haired Reaper had slowed us down so much, all hope seemed lost.

I came to a screeching halt when I saw the hooded guy standing in front of the backstreets' entrance. "Ack, not another wall Reaper!" my partner groaned.

The hoodie-wearing man looked up at us, seeming annoyed for some reason. I thought I heard him growl exasperatedly as we walked up.

"You guys are so zetta slow," he muttered. "You only have two minutes."

I raised a brow at his first remark, but shook my head and tried to ignore it. "I know! Give us the mission!" I shouted.

The Reaper's frown deepened. "Calm down, radian."

"Please!" my partner begged him.

Our last enemy of the day sighed heavily. "Want past this wall?" he started, almost grudgingly. "Bring me a Lazy Bomber pin."

Both of us paled a few shades. "But..." my partner mumbled, "you can only get that from the Wild Boar shop back there."

The man's frown suddenly upturned. He started smiling the most hideously evil smirk I've ever seen, baring his teeth like a lion. "Oh, so you didn't get it yesterday, when Udagawa was open, plain as Pascal?" he asked in sadistic delight.

My partner and I shared a nervous glance, not even registering his warped analogy, staring at each other.

"You didn't!" he laughed.

"How are we supposed to complete the mission?" I shrieked, watching my timer tick down under the minute mark.

The Reaper tossed his head back and laughed. "You're not," he chuckled darkly.

"But...but then all the Players are dead!" my partner screamed after a few seconds. "No one's finished the mission yet!"

"That has to be against the rules!" I added. The red numbers on my hand hit half a minute.

The hooded man's smile widened even further. "It is," he said through his bared teeth. "I'm sick of being pushed around. The Composer's rules are garbage." He pounded his fists together, causing both of us to jump. "CRUNCH! I'll add them to the heap!"

We stared at each other again in stunned silence. I checked the timer again. Twenty seconds.

"Time for a little quiz, before you get iterated by your own stupidity," the Reaper said. "How much do you think you brain-dead binomials are really worth?"

Ten seconds. We didn't respond.

"Zero!" he shouted. "Just like I have no care for Feather-Boy and his idiotic orders!"

Five seconds.

"Fractals like you have no future in this world!"

Three.

"In _my_ world!"

Two.

"I'll always win!"

One.

"Count on it!"

_Zero._

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><p>The World Ends With You belongs to Square-Enix.<em><br>_


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